The 3rd Sunday in Lent, Year B Then God spoke all these words: 2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. 8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work-- you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. 12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 13 You shall not murder. 14 You shall not commit adultery. 15 You shall not steal. 16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (Exodus 20.1-17 NRSV) The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." 18 The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (John 2.13-22 NRSV) “REMINDERS” How do you remember things? There are all sorts of ways. There is the classic string around the finger. Sometimes we will ask others to remind us of things that we should not forget. Nowadays, we have electronic watches and calendars and computers that will beep us or make some noise to remind us of appointments and events. Myself, I am a big fan of writing things down. The Post-It note is a great invention. The only problem is that you still have to look at them. This morning we have one of the greatest reminders by writing things down that ever took place. The book of Exodus is to most people about escaping from slavery in Egypt and crossing the Red Sea. That is the miraculous, action-packed part. That is the big Hollywood part. But about half of the book is concerned with giving the Law and worship. Those are much duller reading for most people. But those are the things that are going to make these freed slaves out in the desert into the people of God and keep them free. It is this part where they form the covenant with God that will define them, make them God’s special people, and shape them over many centuries. And central in this is writing it all down. Moses on the mountain heard God’s commands and was told to write them down to take them to the people. We call these the Ten Commandments realizing, of course, that God gave other laws to Israel. These seem foundational and capture our attention. They are short, essential, a set by themselves. They give starting point to life. That’s what a lot of controversy concerning them seems to be about, that they define us as a nation. That’s why they are written down and keep being written down. But that is only half of it. They are written down not just to remind us of who we are, though; they are written down to remind us of what God wants from us. They are written not only to be seen, not only to be conspicuous; they are written to be followed. They are more than a symbol, they show us that we belong in relationship to God. They are about important things. These are not like parking laws. Parking laws bring order to traffic flow, but rarely are matters of life and death. The first ones, of these Ten Commandments, are about God, what our behavior and attitude towards God should be. If there is a foundation, that is it. The others are foundational to society, in them the basic the rights to property, to faithfulness in relationships, to protection against being falsely accused are found. They are the things which make living together possible. They do not cover every possibility but they are a start. A very good start. It is easy for things to slip our minds. I had to laugh at a friend from college who had left himself a note to read the note that was the actual reminder. But in more serious ways we forget what we should remember. We start out with these and do not pay attention to them for very long. History is filled with the ways we have forgotten these commandments. We forget God and forget that others are objects of God’s care just as much as we are. When asked to summarize all of God’s laws and commands Jesus said: love God and love your neighbor. You can’t do better than that. But before we are given the commands, we see God, the giver. Another example of how these slip our minds is found in the Gospel reading this morning. Jesus drives the money changers out of the temple. They had forgotten that it was to be a place of worship, not worship of money, not of people, not of activities, but of God. When you forget what it is for, you end up with a lot of silly things, like sheep and goats. It was to be God’s house, where they meet God. Jesus drove them out, remembering what the right purpose of it was. The authorities asked him on what basis he was doing this and his reply was somewhat mysterious. They asked for a sign and the sign was that if they destroyed the temple he would raise it up in three days. They thought he meant the huge temple building. No, he meant his body, which they eventually would kill. A person can get into trouble for pointing out the ways people do not live up to who they think they are. This trouble will lead to his death. It leaves us with the question of what his death will lead to. But he will be raised up on the third day. God will not leave him in death. They were talking about buildings, Jesus about God’s purposes in the world. We, too, need to reconsider what the right purposes of God’s gifts are. The temple authorities had forgotten that. We need to remember that the goal of the Commandments is to remember God in our lives. Terry Helwig tells the story of when he met with a friend to whom he mentioned his ardent desire to continue on his spiritual journey. The friend suggested that searching for God might be like a fish searching for water, that in fact, just as a fish is surrounded by water, we might be surrounded by the presence of God. Perhaps our seeking God is more recognition. The Commandments are not ends in themselves but the means by which we can see the Creator in our lives and world. We rediscover God’s purpose as we remember what God has given us. We also need to remember that the Commandments were given to us for our world. They are to change how we see it, particularly how we see others. We are not to go about life, and forget them as well. Brigitte Weeks saw what a neighbor was in a new way one day when frustrated by unemployment and taking a tunnel shortcut in New York City. She ran into many people on their way to work. While feeling very much alone, she remembered: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” says the second great commandment. Were these people her neighbors? she wondered. When a young man in a suit and tie almost ran her down and then apologized she realized that they were. Because we are who we are, we tend to forget things. We remember the stock market, or birthdays, or the score of the game, or what is on sale, but we forget God. We remember our projects or our hopes or our setbacks, but forget the lives of those around us. God has given us some reminders. We are reminded by the sun that comes up, by the rain that falls, the wind and the change of the seasons. We are reminded by the care and love of our families and friends, by the long histories of our nation and churches. We also have these words, that in life we would look up, that we would remember who created us, to whom we belong, and to whom we owe our lives. They are so we live lives that honor God, but most importantly, that through them we draw close to God. How do we remember? It is written down for us. Just look.

The 1st Sunday in Lent, Year B

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. 3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. 6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O LORD! 8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. (Psalm 25:1-10 NRSV)

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." 12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." (Mark 1:9-15 NRSV)


“GETTING INTO TROUBLE”


When I started seminary years ago, one of the first things they did was break us new students into groups. In each group was a student who had been there a year or two who would answer any questions we might have. It was good to hear what we needed to know starting out from someone who had just been through it. Janet was leading our group. She was a truck driver who was going to become a minister. We had questions like where the Laundromat was, about car insurance, where to park, and so on. They were those things that would make our day-to-day lives easier. After those questions were answered, one of my classmates asked, “Where do you go to get into some trouble?” He meant, of course, not serious trouble, but the kind of fun that you don’t typically associate with seminary and the ministry. The answer was “East Dubuque, Illinois”, across the river.
The psalm this morning acknowledges that we get into trouble on our own. We don’t have to look very far to find it. There are enemies. But beyond that is our tendency to stray from God. The psalmist recognizes that. The psalmist wants to know God’s ways. He or she wants God to teach him or her, will wait for God to do that. God will instruct sinners in the right way. But also, the psalmist is honest about his or her life. He or she is mindful of God’s mercy and asks for it because he or she has sinned. That is why he or she is depending on God’s steadfast love. There is forgiveness for the past. There is hope for the future as the psalmist learns to live God’s way.
The Gospel reading is also fitting for this season. With last Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, we began the season of Lent. It is the period of forty days before Easter in which we seek forgiveness and a new direction in life and strengthen or renew our discipleship. It is when we pay special attention to following Jesus. This morning we take a look at where he went. After he was baptized, after he heard that voice that declared he was the beloved child of God, he went out to the wilderness. In fact, the Spirit drove him out there. He was with the wild beasts. There, in the wilderness, life is at its minimal. There are no conveniences, no luxuries. There, a person can barely survive. But in that special place new things can happen. It is in imitation of that state of being, that in some traditions people give up luxuries or comforts for this season. It is in imitation of Jesus’ time in the wilderness, that we go back to what is basic, to rediscover our lives, to live how he lived.
There in the wilderness, Jesus was tempted. We might think of the desert as a place that would be free from such things. It is not like East Dubuque, after all. It is a place of utter simplicity. And yet even there, the devil can find Jesus. Temptation is not limited to time or place. It is inside us, trying to separate us from God, trying to separate us from others, from the best in life. There are all sorts of temptations. What would follow you wherever you went, even out to the desert? Would it be a temptation for you to be wasteful of time or resources? Would it be to accumulate things you do not need? Would it be self-indulgence? Would it be how you treat others? Would it be to ignore God as much as possible? There are many things in our lives that are much more serious than whether we give up a treat or some comforts. Temptations come in many forms. But if we stop and think, we all know the things we fight against, over and over again.
At the end of his time in the wilderness, Jesus was victorious. He did not fall to the temptations presented to him. That gives us hope, gives us a goal. And after that experience he began to preach. He presented the good news of God. The time has come; the kingdom of God has come near. We are to repent and believe. Lent is a time to do that.
What if we focused, not on giving one or two things up, but on going to the desert? What if we made use of this time, not paying attention to the sacrifice of some comforts, but on finding new ways of greater faithfulness? Maybe sacrifice should not be the end in itself, but a way to know ourselves better and find the power of God to help us. Perhaps sacrifice will then help us cut free from the bonds within us to find new ways of loving and serving others. Lent is a time when we take time to know God’s ways. That takes serious concentration. It is a different kind of sacrifice. It might involve a trip to the desert. It is a thing we choose; it is a bother or a sacrifice or a time self-discipline that we willingly take on for the hope of a spiritual benefit. It is work to interrupt the harmful and relentless temptations in our days. This is something we do to change that. It is trouble we choose to get into.
We can benefit from cutting our dependence on things and habits that enslave us. This takes effort on our part. We can use this time to learn from God the new attitudes and habits that make our lives richer in spirit. J. Barrie Shepherd envisions this new learning in his poem, “Looking for Lent”. Rather than give things up, he wants to take on “the task of noticing whatever had been there unseen from the beginning,” to see “perhaps even the footprints of the gardener himself.” Lent can be a time when we grow in faith by some new direction or activity in our lives. Service or outreach, study or prayer, can be that new thing that can open our eyes to where God is and what God is doing in the world.
Lent is a time when we seek to be better than we were. We seek to know God better and have less to do with those things that lead us away from God. We want to follow Christ in the path that conquers temptation, even if that temptation is to direct no effort into following Christ. Gina Bridgeman recalls Ash Wednesday Mass early in the morning before school. She would leave the sign of the cross on her forehead the rest of the day despite the teasing of her classmates. But she didn’t care. To her it was a sign that helped her say that she was a child of God. These days she also thinks of life beyond Ash Wednesday, beyond having that mark that set her apart. What will show the world that she is still God’s child? The peace of the Lord in her heart? Hands that reach out in compassion to someone in need? A smile to share the joy of Jesus? She chooses things that give up a part of herself to someone else as a tangible way of showing God’s grace. Just like Jesus began his ministry once he came back from the desert, so what we do in this time, the attitudes and decisions we make can increase our faithfulness to what God is doing around us.
This Lent let us go to the desert. Let us walk where Jesus walked. It is quiet there; we will hear God. It is simple there; our needs and purpose will become visible to us. And there is temptation—even there—but we will find God’s power to overcome it. We might have to set aside some of what we brought in there with us. We might find that we are not the same when we come back. And when we come back, let us still listen for God. Let us still live with purpose. Let us begin something new. Let us use this time to make a difference in our souls, our lives, our world. If we look for trouble, let us look for the kind of trouble that changes us.

Transfiguration of the Lord, Year B

Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent." 4 Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. 5 The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent." 6 Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." 10 He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. (2 Kings 2.1-12 NRSV)

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. (Mark 9.2-9 NRSV)

“GLOWING”

Glowing objects get our attention. That is because things don’t normally glow. It is unusual, a rare occurrence, and when it does happen we notice. There are things in nature that we expect to glow—the sun, the moon, fire. But there are all sorts of things we don’t expect to glow. Some of this glowing can be dangerous. My father did not like objects that glowed in the dark. The reason was that he knew about an incident involving a group of women who became known as the “Radium Girls”, the women who worked for the United States Radium Corporation at the factory in Orange, New Jersey, from 1917 to 1926. They painted a radioactive mixture on watch dials so they could be read at night. To get the fine points they needed on the paintbrushes, they licked the tips. In doing so, they ingested the radioactive material. Many became ill, some died. Dad knew that there could be danger behind a glowing light, even one glowing softly in a corner.
On the other hand, glowing things can be spectacular and powerful. A few years ago, I was near La Crosse when I noticed something in the sky. It was a bright white light in the winter night sky. At first I thought it was an airplane or helicopter, but it wasn’t moving. It wasn’t the moon; it was about 25 times bigger and it was in the north. Clouds around it hid it and yet couldn’t hide it. It was a glimpse of a spectacular world beyond daily life and routine. It was amazing to behold. Glowing things can also be comforting, just ask any two-year-old about his or her nightlight.
The Gospel reading is of the event called the Transfiguration. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain. There, his appearance changed. His clothes became dazzling white. They could not help but notice this. Elijah and Moses also appeared and Peter said that they would make dwellings for them. But they were not needed. They were not going to stay on the mountain, but before they left, a cloud overshadowed them and a voice declared that Jesus was the beloved Son and they should listen to him. Then it was all over and they went down from the mountain.
The reading from the Old Testament is of the time that Elijah was taken up into heaven. Before that, Elijah and his disciple Elisha were traveling together. It was already known that the Lord was going to take Elijah away. The company of prophets reminded Elisha about it, but he didn’t want to hear that. There was a second leg of the journey and still Elisha did not leave Elijah. And a third leg and after a miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, the time drew near. Elijah asked Elisha what he could do for him. What he asked for was twice as much presence of the Holy Spirit to be on him as was on Elijah, the great prophet. A chariot of fire separated them and a whirlwind took him into heaven. This glorious scene has changed Elisha.
As we have heard these past few weeks from the Gospel readings, the picture of who Jesus is has been emerging gradually. He is the one sent with the message that the kingdom of heaven is coming near. He is the one who teaches as one with authority to cast out evil. He is the one who heals, restoring others to service. Now, we see part of his glory and hear that he is the Son. All this tells us he is no ordinary man. We should listen to him, we are told. Likewise, the prophet Elisha is someone the people of Israel should heed. He is not an ordinary man but has been given twice the presence of the Holy Spirit that was with his master.
Through the years artists have depicted the special men and women of God with light. Many of the saints, especially Jesus, have been portrayed with light coming from them, especially from their faces or heads. This is to show their special nature or holiness. It is right to honor them, to tell us something about them. But the emphasis in the texts is not on their appearance, as spectacular as that is. It is in the word that they give us from God. It is not in how they look, it is in what they do, what they say, and what we should do. The prophets have the Holy Spirit on them to do so. Jesus is not only the Son of God, he is the Son of God we should listen to. The appearance of these figures is not just to be displayed; it is to guide us in how we live. We should not merely look, we should hear. We should believe.

We have the word to help us. It shines like the lighthouse on the rocky shore to warn us of danger. The words of the prophets have done that throughout history. It is also like the light of the rescuer bringing us to safety. Sometimes, before we hear that word, we need to see who it is who is bringing it to us. Marilyn Morgan Helleberg writes about how seeing Jesus led to an inner change in the most difficult year of her life. In the midst of overwhelming pain she spent a few days at a spiritual retreat center. One of the advisers, suggested that she close her eyes and imagine how it would feel to have Jesus pick her up and hold you close. She tried but could not do it. But in the dining room were pictures of Jesus, in many different expressions. She saw a simple pencil drawing of Jesus with his face half-buried in the soft wool of a little lamb that he snuggled between his cheek and shoulder. It spoke to her of her need for someone to care for her and of Jesus as the one who could do that. She heard him whisper assurances of his love for her. That was the beginning of her healing.

We see the glory of God in Jesus. His appearance shows us that. It is a sign to us that Jesus is greater than anything we have known or can imagine. We have seen him as healer, but this is more. This tells us about who he is, the Son of God. This is more that what he does. The reaction to that vision is to cling to him in faith. Fay Angus tells this story of the time her daughter, age eight, was at the PTA’s annual school Christmas party. Fay had prepared the star-shaped piñata. Her daughter was too shy to participate, despite encouragement, and Fay thought that she would get some candy for her when it was knocked down. What her daughter got after it was all over was the star. She clutched it to her heart and left the candy and trinkets for the others. Faith looks beyond the gifts we receive to see the giver. When we see Jesus we see the glory of God.

On the mountain top, Jesus became bright, brighter than anything on earth could make him. This reminds us that he is unique, heavenly, special. And as if that was not enough, the voice came from the cloud telling us who Jesus is. Part of this we already know; he is a healer, teacher, guide. Glowing things get our attention. The light directs our eyes toward Jesus. We are directed to see him again. We are directed to listen. He is more than we thought he was. He is the Son, the Savior, the Risen One. His light among us is not to frighten; it is not a danger. It is a guide and comfort, so that we will find in him what both we need and will find the greatest good, the glory of God. It is so that we will look beyond the light. Then we will see who he is and believe.

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